Battles of the Mind
by daisuke-hieiXXX
Summary: after being trapped in the humanworld for over 10 years, hiei and kurama are surprised at the arrival of 2 suspicious demons. what do they want with hiei? who is waiting for him in demon world? HIEIxOC PLEASE RR!
1. 2 stray youkai

A/N: ok first chapter. it might not be that great but stick around and i promis it'll get better. k? good. read on and review!!

It was raining outside. Lightning flashed across the dark sky and thunder rolled over head. A spiky haired young man opened the door of the apartment he shared with his best friend. He was drenched from head to toe from the rain and his black clothing stuck to his muscular body. He walked into the dark room and kicked off his muddy boots. His roommate, Kurama had his bedroom door shut so he assumed Kurama was asleep. The man, Hiei, went over to the couch where he usually slept and sank down into it.

He was sore, tired, and wet. Hiei hadn't been home for days and was finally glad to be able to sit down. He shivered from the cold and stared at the rain beaten window. Another bolt of lightning flashed across the sky briefly illuminating the room. Hiei gasped and shot to his feet, withdrawing his katana. He wasn't the only one in the room.

A girl stood in the dark corner. Raven black hair clung to her shoulders. Silver eyes stared eerily back into his own crimson ones. Tears rolled down her pale cheeks. She wore a deep red turtleneck sweater and a short black skirt with black boots.

"Hiei," she whispered.

"Hisha..." Hiei gasped. "I—I saw you die. There is no way you could have lived from your injury."

Hisha bit her lip as the tears continued to fall. Her chin trembled and she took a step toward Hiei who took one back. Hiei's eyes were wide open with shock. Water dripped from his black hair.

"Hisha, I saw you die. You were bleeding—in my arms—and you died. We all saw it."

FLASHBACK

_Yusuke, Kuwabara, Kurama, Hiei, and Hisha were running from the battle. They had been overwhelmed and couldn't fight back any longer. The exit wasn't far but everyone was injured in some way and couldn't run quickly enough. Arrows showered down on them and the Demon Army chased after them with swords. Hisha screamed and when they turned around, she was speared on one demon's sword with three arrows quivering in her back. Hiei screamed his mate's name and tried to run back, but Kurama and Yusuke grabbed him. "Hiei it's too late!" Kurama shouted to him his voice choking. "She's—." "No she's not!" Hiei shouted back. "She can't! HISHA!!!" Yusuke let go and allowed Hiei to speed to Hisha's side. He killed the demon and picked up Hisha's bleeding body. She clung to his cloak and he could feel her tremble as her body failed her. _

END FLASHBACK

"Who are you really?"

"Don't you know me, Hiei?" the girl choked. "Don't you remember?"

She walked forward again and attempted to grab Hiei's hand. But he pulled away from her and stepped back. Something gleamed in his eyes like hurt, pain, and love all at once.

"Hiei," she pleaded softly as thunder boomed in the background.

"You were dead. I saw you die. Your blood was all over me."

"Believe me, even I don't know how I survived. I thought I was gone too. But—I told myself I had to hold on—for you—for us."

"You aren't real," Hiei said firmly. "I wont let myself be tricked by my own mind again. You aren't real."

"Hiei—!"

"No. Not again. No more."

Hiei sank back down into the couch and pulled his knees up to hide his face. The girl tried once more to touch him but Hiei put up a shield around himself and blocked everything off.

Hiei awoke the next morning to the smell of frying bacon and ham. He immediately sat up and looked around for the girl, but she was nowhere to be found.

"Just a dream," he mumbled running a hand through his hair. "Just another bad dream."

"Hiei, I saw you were back and decided to make breakfast!" Kurama called from the kitchen. "My mother taught me how to cook so I thought I'd give it a try this morning."

Hiei got up off the couch and groggily walked in to see how and what Kurama was doing.

Kurama had his long red hair tied back in a ponytail and a white apron was tied around his neck and waist. Stains covered the apron everywhere. He turned over the bacon in the frying pan and scooped the ham onto a plate for Hiei. He walked to the fridge and got out a glass of milk. He set it all down on the table and continued to cook his own breakfast.

Hiei looked down at the strips of meat and tore a piece off with his teeth. It wasn't bad he had to admit. He swished the milk around in his mouth for a minute and swallowed, draining the glass. He banged it on the table accidentally cracking the glass. Kurama looked over at his friend in surprise but didn't say anything. Hiei sighed and closed his eyes remembering his dream of the night before.

It was just a dream though... Just a dream... She's really gone...

He rubbed a hand over his eyes and breathed in deeply. He pushed himself away from the table after wolfing down the rest of the bacon and went to the door. He pulled on his boots and left, leaving an exasperated Kurama behind.

Hiei wandered through the streets, too fast to be seen by human eyes. He flitted on top of telephone poles, streetlights, stop signs, anything and everything. He wasn't going anywhere in particular; he was just wandering about aimlessly.

But he stopped at one point as two people, a boy and a girl, stared up at him as he perched on a building. They appeared to be brother and sister. The boy held her hand protectively and glared menacingly back at Hiei, as though daring him to so much as look at them wrong.

The girl looked innocent. She held onto her brother and stared back at Hiei with large red eyes. Black hair flowed over her slender shoulders. Her dark clothes added a mysterious look to her. A huge sword was strapped to her back and looked too heavy for her to even lift.

Her brother on the other hand had short spiky white hair with a black star burst in the middle. Silver eyes stared challengingly at everyone. He had a muscular body that strained against his gray shirt.

Hiei gave a short 'Hn' and flitted out of sight. He landed on top of a food vendor's tent and stretched out on the canvas. No one could see him and that was the way he liked things.

Not much later, there were several shouts and yells, crashes, and bangs. Annoyed at being interrupted from his nap, Hiei sat up.

A crowd had gathered and was chasing something. One particularly large man was holding a long stick and shouting while waving the stick ridiculously around his head. He appeared to be leading the crowd.

"Thieves!" shouted the fat man. "Thieves! Police! Those brats stole my goods! Thieves! Catch them!"

"Hn," Hiei said before disappearing to see who had caused the disruption of his nap.

The boy and girl were running up ahead of the crowd. The girl's arms were full of stolen goods. Her brother pulled her along by the wrist. Hiei almost smiled at their poorly attempted robbery. They were still ahead of the crowd by a good distance but they didn't slow their pace. The crowd was running angrily after them.

"They robbed my cart last week!" called a woman.

Several voices chorused in agreement.

The pair of youngsters impressed Hiei now at the number of people who claimed to have been robbed by them. He sighed and decided to help the two troublemakers out. He jumped down into the streets and shoved them into a dark alley.

"Hey!" called the boy.

"This way," Hiei said shortly.

He climbed up a ladder on the side of a building and the two of them followed. The crowd below was shouting insults and threats after them. The fat man threw his stick at them, but it missed and clattered harmlessly to the ground. When they reached the top, Hiei led them on. They jumped from one rooftop to another until the crowd gave up and dispersed.

"Why did you help us?" the boy asked when they finally stopped.

"So you're refusing my kind gesture? Fine. I wont help you again."

Hiei walked to the edge and was about to disappear once more, when the girl spoke for the first time.

"No, please," she said softly. "My brother did not mean to be rude. We are grateful for your help, but we wonder why you would help us?"

"Do I need a reason?" Hiei asked sharply. "I thought you didn't look like such bad kids and decided to throw you a line. Forgive me if my service was unwanted."

"Please, sir, that's not what we meant!"

The boy snorted.

"Forget it, Hinarama," said her brother. "I don't think he'll agree with you on much."

"But—Hitaro..."

The boy, Hitaro, ignored his sister.

"Look, we appreciate the help, but we really must be going now."

"Hn."

"Hinarama, we can't stay here too long, remember?" Hitaro muttered.

She looked down and nodded in agreement.

"I know. I know."

She bent down and readjusted the bundles in her arms. She stood up and tossed her hair back over her shoulder.

"Thank you anyways, sir," she said.

Hitaro climbed down the side of the building and Hinarama followed.

"Good bye," she smiled before she disappeared into the shadows with her brother.

"A boy and girl you say?" Kurama replied to Hiei later that evening.

"Yes, and youkai from their spirit energy. They are strong, yet they don't seem too dangerous, but how did two reasonably strong youkai slip into ningenkai undetected?"

Kurama was silent in thought. His brows were furrowed and his eyes looked troubled.

"I have no idea," he said finally. "Security is tight for entering and exiting between makai and ningenkai these days. How they got through is a mystery to me."

"I was worried you'd say that," Hiei muttered almost sarcastically.

"Do you think we should tell Koenma?"

"The toddler prince has enough to deal with right now. I don't think he'll really care about two-escapee youkai. Ever since the Demon Army overtook the makai, things have been—hectic."

"I know."

They were silent, both keeping their thoughts to themselves, but they were the same thoughts.

Hiei opened the window and sat on the ledge while dangling one boot over the side. The cool evening air blew the wisps of hair from his eyes. Stars were beginning to sprinkle the sky as the clouds turned pink and the sun rolled under the horizon. Cars honked in the nearby streets as ningens hurried home from work. The wind rustled through the trees and scattered leaves on the streets. The shadows lengthened until they covered everything. Kurama stood up and turned on a few lamps before retiring to his bedroom.

Hiei didn't plan on going anywhere tonight. He was going to fall asleep on this peaceful window ledge. No one was going to bother him...or else. He yawned a bit and let sleep settle in.

Hiei was rudely awakened for the second time that day, however. Around midnight, he felt someone tugging on his white scarf. He withdrew his katana and wheeled around on the vile perpetrator only to find...

"Hinarama?"

The girl stared up at him with her large crimson eyes and smiled.

"You remembered me!" she said happily.

"I never forget a face."

"I'm sorry I woke you, but, Hitaro and I were wondering, well I was wondering, if you could maybe help us one more time." She smiled hopefully at Hiei and blinked a few times.

"What do you need from me? And how did you even find me?"

"It was easy. I just tracked your spirit energy," she shrugged. "But we need to get back to Makai."

"If you got through on your own you can get back on your own."

"Getting through was easy!" Hinarama cried, still smiling, but her smile abruptly faded. "But now that we've gone through, they'll have increased security and it'll be impossible to get back with our things."

"What things? And why are you robbing the human world anyway?"

"Umm I can't tell you...just yet. But please, come talk to my brother. Your name's Hiei, is it not?"

"Yes and yes," said Hiei dryly.

"Thank you so much," she said sounding truly grateful. "Please, meet us at the park tomorrow at noon."

"But—!"

Hinarama jumped out the window and into the dark before Hiei could reply in a full sentence.

Perplexed, annoyed, and tired, Hiei slammed the window shut and decided to sleep on the couch again. As he lay down, he checked the room for any unwanted visitors, but there were none.

"She was only a dream," he said trying to convince himself. "Just another stupid dream."

"She said they'd be here at noon?" Kurama asked Hiei the next day. It was quarter past twelve and Hitaro and Hinarama were nowhere to be seen.

"Yes."

Kurama looked doubtful but sat down on the park bench and waited a bit longer. Hiei sat down next to him with a sigh. This whole thing was confusing. And it didn't help that he wasn't getting much sleep anymore. He was about to give up when the two siblings appeared in front of them.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," Hitaro apologized. Then he noticed Kurama and frowned. "Who's he?"

"He's a friend of mine and no danger to you...unless you give him reason to be," Hiei added nastily.

Kurama just smiled. He then extended a hand in greeting.

"My name's Kurama," he said in his gentle voice. "And it's a pleasure to meet you..."

"Hitaro. And this is my sister, Hinarama."

Neither one of them took Kurama's hand.

"And what brings you to ningenkai?"

They both looked away, hesitant to answer Kurama. Hinarama slid her hand into her brother's and stared at the ground. Hitaro wouldn't make eye contact with anyone. His silver eyes stared glumly at the trees.

"If you want our help, tell us why you want it," Hiei said after getting tired of the silence. "Tell us or we leave."

"It's not that simple," Hitaro said with an edge to his voice.

"Our mother is deadly ill," Hinarama whispered softly. "We found a demon who was willing to help us, but it's costing us a lot. And it's easier to steal from ningens so that's why we came here."

"Charming."

"What does she have?" Kurama asked, his voice full of concern

"Hn."

"I'm not sure."

"She was seriously injured a long time ago and has never really been healthy," Hitaro continued. "But a bout a year ago, she started getting worse. She'd get really bad fevers and seizures, and fall into a coma for weeks before she'd wake up. After the last one, she wasn't able to wake up at all. Hinarama and I couldn't give her the help she needed, so we sought out help. We found a demon that said he was skilled in medicine and could make a brew for her for the right price. We had no other choice but to chance it. Stealing from demons was too hard though. And the consequences were higher than if we simply stole from ningens."

"How do you know the demon wasn't lying?" Hiei asked.

The two kids looked down guiltily.

"I didn't think about it," Hitaro admitted.

"Why would anyone lie about that?" Hinarama asked with hurt in her voice.

"Not everyone has the best interests of others in mind," Kurama explained. "Many people have only self-interest in mind. I doubt that this demon needs all that gold...or that he's really even a doctor."

The two of them looked down. They seemed crushed. Hitaro looked almost angry, even furious. His silver eyes stared coldly at the ground. Hinarama's red eyes were brimming with tears. Hitaro wiped her eyes and whispered softly, "Don't cry." She nodded and breathed in deeply.

"You should just get back to Makai," Hiei said as comforting as possible for him. "I'm sorry about your mother."

"No," Kurama interrupted. "We'll help you. Don't worry about it. I'll need to see your mother for myself though if I'm to help. So Hiei's suggestion is a good one. We'll all go back to Makai...but before that we have to return all the goods you stole."

Hitaro gave an almost Hiei-ish "Hn" at this.

"We worked hard to get those things," Hitaro said. "Why should we give the ningens back their treasures?"

Hinarama nodded in agreement with her brother.

"It's the right thing to do," Kurama said sternly. "Now we'll return those tonight and return to Makai in the morning. Got that?"

Hitaro was clearly upset at being bossed around and Hinarama even seemed a little annoyed as well. But they both nodded and agreed to go along with Hiei and Kurama.

The four of them walked down the dark and dank alley. Water dripped from the rusting gutters and pipes. Trashcans spilled over with garbage and rats scampered out of site. The run down buildings loomed overhead menacingly. Hitaro stepped through the door of a particularly sad looking structure.

"This is where you stayed?" Hiei asked in mild disgust.

"Yes," Hinarama whispered. "No one comes here except for some ningens and they never stay long. It's the perfect hide out for us."

"Cozy," Kurama noted to himself.

Hitaro went up a flight of rickety stairs and led them into a room where the molding on the walls was crumbling especially badly. There was an old lumpy mattress shoved in the corner with a few ragged and torn blankets. A considerable hoard of gold and other expensive items were shoved in the closet. One miserable curtain swung from the cracked and grimy window.

"It isn't much," Hitaro said, "But this has been our home."

Hiei kicked his boot at a rat. It squeaked as it flew out the door.

"Let's get moving then," Kurama called over his shoulder as he bent down to remove some items from the closet.

Hiei sighed and piled the goods in his arms.

The goods had more or less all been returned that night and the four of them returned to the apartment to sleep.

Hinarama and Hitaro slept in Hiei's bed, Kurama was in his own, and Hiei slept outside in a tree.

As everyone was snoring soundly and safely in their beds, Hiei began to feel drowsy and was slowly drifting off to sleep. He let himself relax and allowed his constantly tense muscles to lessen a bit. He gave a sigh and sleep took over.

But that night, the girl appeared in his dreams again. She kept saying she needed help, kept pleading to Hiei. Her silver eyes were misty with tears. Hiei refused to listen once more and he blocked her out as best as he could. The hallucination finally seemed to give up and she faded away once more.

Hiei was the first one up that morning. The two twins did not get up for several hours. When they finally did, both were famished and began prowling the apartment for food.

Kurama made them some cereal (which they found to be the best tasting food ever) and allowed them to eat as much as they wanted. Hiei didn't feel like eating. He hardly ever ate breakfast anyway except if he was tired from a long journey or he just felt like it.

Kurama contacted Botan and made arrangements for them to all travel safely back to Makai.

Trips to Makai or any of the realms were dangerous these days. The Demon Armies were running unchecked throughout Makai. It was tricky making a deal with them to pass through the realms. Luckily Botan had a contact with the Demon Army and was able to negotiate their passage.

When they had entered Makai, Kurama and Hiei were shocked at the sight. The last they had seen of the demon world was the warring armies clashing over the bloodstained battlefields. Now the land was flat and blackened for as far as they could see. Small makeshift homes were sprinkled in groups here and there, but they were sparse. Every few miles were a tower where a small portion of the army controlled the area. A cold wind blew through everything.

"It's horrible," Kurama spoke in barely a whisper. "What's happened since we've been gone?"

Hiei could only stare in disbelief.

"After the Rei kai tantei left," explained Hitaro, "The Demon Army took over. They killed anyone who disagreed with them and destroyed everything so that no one had anything to fight against them with."

"It's been terrible," Hinarama said darkly, which was uncharacteristic of her.

"Yes. They banished Lord Koenma and all loyal to him. Your friend, Botan, she's lucky she's not in some Demon Lord's palace locked up in a cage where she's viewed as a sport everyday when they torture her."

"Hn."

"Why did you leave?" Hinarama asked with the slightest edge of anger to her voice. "No one is powerful enough to chase them all away. You could have done it, but you left. Why?"

"We had no idea this would happen," said Kurama, still in mild shock. "And we didn't even mean to be gone long. But when we entered Ningenkai, we were locked in with no way back."

"Do you honestly think we would willingly allow this to happen?" Hiei asked testily.

"No," they both admitted.

Everyone just stood there, taking in the horror of it. Hitaro was the first one to come to his senses.

"We can't stay long or they'll come to investigate us," he warned.

They all knew he was right and ran silently behind him out of sight. It got worse the farther in they went. Most people hadn't even been given time to bury their dead before being forced out of their homes. Corpses lay rotting here and there. Kurama was obviously disturbed. Not that Hiei wasn't but he had more control over his emotions than Kurama. Hinarama and Hitaro weren't even fazed. They walked along without giving so much as a second glance to anything.

"Welcome home," Hitaro muttered darkly.


	2. A Night's Rest

"Where are you taking us?" Hiei asked Hitaro.

"Sh," Hitaro shushed.

Hiei grumbled at being bossed by a youkai with significantly less power than his own and who had to be at least 15 years his junior. But he obeyed nonetheless; realizing Hitaro would know more about Makai than he after all these years.

"We can't talk until we can find a place to rest," whispered Hinarama somewhat fearfully.

Kurama nodded, narrowing his emerald eyes.

* * *

They traveled far past nightfall, walking in the shadows, making no noise. Hiei realized Hinarama was beginning to pant louder. Her enormous sword must have been weighing her down, Hiei noted. She didn't complain, only narrowed her ruby red eyes and walked on. A single drop of sweat trickled down her brow.

Finally, Hitaro stopped.

A large cave loomed in front of them. Stalactites and stalagmites projected out of the ceiling and ground, making the cave seem like a great mouth.

Hitaro gestured for the group to follow him inside. They trotted along patiently, though some more than others. (A/N: meaning Hiei.) They walked for possibly another hour, before Hitaro let out a long sigh.

"Here we are," he said smiling, but the darkness of the cave was so absolute, it was impossible to see the curve of his mouth.

A moment later, however, Hiei had made a fire on the cave floor. Hinarama eased herself onto the floor. Not wanting to waste any time, she immediately fell asleep, using her sword as a pillow. Hitaro lay down next to his sister and fell asleep, his head resting on the sword as well.

Hiei looked up at Kurama whose head was nodding.

"I'll leave you to take first watch," Kurama yawned. He sat down against the cave wall and drifted into a light sleep.

"Hn."

The fire crackled. It made a warm glow in the cold cave and Hiei found himself wishing to drop off to sleep as well. Not five minutes later, his head was resting on his chest and a light snore eased from his throat.

* * *

Hiei awoke the next morning to Hinarama cooking something over the small fire. Hitaro and Kurama were still asleep.

Hinarama smiled seeing Hiei awake. When her lips parted, two perfect fangs were visible in her mouth. A tail Hiei had not noticed before flicked contentedly back and forth. Hinarama reached up for a moment and parted her hair, revealing two ears, perched on top her head.

"Ohayou, Hiei," she said pleasantly.

Hiei looked at the small animal she was cooking. It was a rat. She poked it gingerly. Seemingly satisfied with it, she ripped some meat off. Hiei felt his stomach rumble. He caught a rat as well and began to cook it over the fire.

It was silent in the cave.

"What type of demon are you?" Hiei asked.

"I am a Wolf Demon. My brother is a fire demon. Just like you, Hiei!" she said smiling even broader. "Isn't that funny?"

Hiei found himself unable to reply. He devoured his rat and stood up.

"Where are you going?"

"Out."

"No, Hiei! Not by yourself and not in the daylight!" Hinarama said fiercely.

Hitaro moaned and sat up groggily at the commotion. He scratched his head, yawning widely.

"What is it?

"Leave me alone, child," said Hiei walking away.

"Hiei, No!"

"Hiei," said Kurama putting a hand on Hiei's shoulder. "It would be wise to listen to them. They have probably saved our lives by leading us here. Do as they say."

"Leave me alone, Kitsune. I promise not to go far."

Hiei proceeded to walk away.

"But—!" Hitaro said trying to run after Hiei.

"It's pointless to argue," said Kurama with a bit of a smile.

"Is Hiei always so—angry?" Hinarama asked uncertainly.

"Err—sweat drop"

* * *

A/N: ok i hadnt noticed before now that only half of this chapter was up. i'm not sure why cuz i uploaded the whole document but anyhow i just reuploaded it so yeah. leave a review if you would PLEASE! TT 


	3. erm chapter 3?

A/N: awright now, I love all my reviewers. I really do! (btw, it was Aradia Anstice's review that inspired me to update! Thanks aradia!) And I would love you all even more if you'd review a lot more often sooo that said, read on!

Disclaimer: honestly! I have to TELL you people I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho? Well my birthday is coming up…ya never know! **hint hint Yoshihiro Togashi**

* * *

"What exactly are we searching for?" Hiei asked irritably.

He hadn't been in a very good mood since everyone had spoken with him about the seriousness of the situation. Honestly, they spoke to him as though he were a child.

"The castle which our mother is being held," Hitaro said. He picked up a stick from the ground and began to draw a map in the dirt on the cave floor. "This is us," he said jabbing the stick at four small dots. He lifted the stick once more and poked at a square he had drawn. "That's where Mother is being held."

"Wait a moment," Kurama said holding up a hand. "Being held? She isn't a prisoner is she?"

The siblings exchanged a look. Hiei couldn't tell what they were thinking.

"We were born and raised in the damp darkness of the prison," Hitaro said contemptuously. "The Lord of that hell pit has wanted my mother for as long as I can remember. She refuses to give him anything. So he has us locked away. At one time, he tried to claim to be our father," he spat.

"Mother assured us he was not," Hinarama said with an evil look on her delicate face. Her small hands were clenched so tightly that her claws dug into her palms, sending drips of blood down her wrists. "She said our father was a far more honorable man than **he**."

"So part of our escape from there was to find our father and free our mother," Hitaro explained. "We know he was a terrific fighter, but not much else. We forgot about him really when my mother started getting too weak to stand up. We were too worried with her to need to care."

"I don't want to find him anyway," Hinarama said crossing her arms and licking the blood from her wrists away. "He left us to crawl in that pit so why should we care?"

Kurama and Hiei exchanged an awkward glance as the twins bickered back and forth.

Kurama stood to his feet and dumped water on the fire, sending steam into the air. They were plunged into darkness.

"We should get moving," Kurama said firmly. "It's nightfall."

Everyone nodded in agreement, even though they didn't know it since it was impossible to see.

* * *

A/N: I know this chapter was extremely short, but it was a necessary chapter and I promise the next will be a lot longer cuz I have plans for it…hem anyway, REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW I TELL YOU! (that kinda rhymed…cool) 


	4. Flashbacks

A/N: as I promised, this chapter will be longer! I think a lot of important info will be given here so yeah. REVIEW!!!

Disclaimer: I have better things to do than tell you things you already know. Ex: I don't own yu yu hakusho.

* * *

_Hiei sat on a tree limb, droplets of rain falling between the leaves. He pulled out a pocket watch from inside of his cloak. 'Right on time,' he said to himself. _

_On cue, ten or so demons appeared on the horizon chasing after a wolf youkai. Hiei could see the female wolf. Her appearance was not at all appealing. Her tail was matted and shredded. Her hair the same, if not worse. Her face was dirty and blood stained. She was breathing hard to escape, but she was tiring quickly and her energy was almost non-existent._

_Hiei left his tree perch and ran with lighting speed. With a few strokes of a blade, the demons fell dead in a bloody heap. The girl looked at Hiei. Terror, hurt, and gratitude shone out of her silver eyes. She brushed her tangled black hair from her face and began to ask a question, but she never finished. Her body was exhausted and her legs crumpled beneath her. Everything faded to black. _

_The last thing she remembered were two strong hands, catching her before she hit the muddy ground.

* * *

_

_She felt warmth. She felt comfortable. There was some discomfort of course from her wounds, but she hadn't been this content in a long time. She pushed herself up and looked around. She was in a forest clearing. A fire was crackling and sparking. She looked around but could see no one. Especially that little man from earlier. Where did he go off?_

_With great effort, she managed to stand. Her tattered garments were folded beside her. She pulled them on over her undergarments and tied her miserable hair back. Lifting her nose to the air, she sniffed. _

_Someone was nearby.

* * *

_

_Hiei sighed as the cool water splashed down his body. He submerged himself in the lake and jumped out of the water a moment later. Feeling refreshed, he dried his dripping body off and threw on his black attire. Sensing youkai energy, he turned, ready to fight._

_He relaxed though, seeing it was only the girl._

_"You're awake," he noted. _

_"I assume it was you that helped me."_

_"Hn."_

_"May I know your name, sir?"_

_"Give me yours and I might consider giving you mine."_

_A little disgruntled at his manners (or lack thereof), she replied quickly, "Hisha. I'm Hisha."_

_"Hiei. Now stop following me around," he said disappearing._

_"Of all the rude things to do!" she spoke to no one. _

_Hisha looked around for anyone. She only caught a glimpse of Hiei's black cloak._

_Not having anywhere else to go, she headed back to the camp with the cloak.

* * *

_

_Hiei knew he couldn't leave her out there on her own. She was far too weak to make it on her own. Besides, his employer had instructed him to…_

_"Hiei!" called a voice. "You forgot your cloak."_

_She held out the cloak for Hiei to take. He snatched it away and threw it over his shoulders. He tied his white scarf around his neck as well._

_He didn't say a word to her. He flitted about the camp performing odd tidying up jobs. The fire was put out, the beds rolled up, the food thrown out, and everything looked undisturbed when he was done.. _

_"I'll be leaving now," Hiei said. _

_Hisha jumped, startled by the sound of his voice._

_"You're just going to leave me?" she asked in disbelief. "I can hardly run let alone defend myself!"_

_"Not my problem," Hiei said playing along. "I don't care if you follow me. But don't expect any protection on my part."_

_"Fine."_

_Hisha was beginning to understand just what type of person Hiei was and what to expect from him. She smoothed the torn material of her shawl thing. Hiei raised an eyebrow at her ratty clothing._

_"You don't happen to own any other form of clothing?" he asked polite as could be. _

_"No. I've been in a prison for 5 years! What would you expect?" _

_"At least take care of your hair and that dead thing you're dragging around," he gestured to her sad state of tail. _

_Hisha's cheeks flushed. _

_"If you're so upset with my condition," she began heatedly. "Why don't **you** do something about it? It's not as if I have money or a hair brush or anything!" _

_"I'm not complaining. Go as you are then. I don't care."_

_Thoroughly annoyed, Hisha trotted after him._

_'I don't care that he saved my life,' she thought to herself. 'He's a rude and annoying thing I would rather be rid of. He could have **offered** to get me a change of clothes!'_

_"Keep up," Hiei said to her. _

_"No problem."_

_"I go pretty fast."_

_"You wouldn't leave me behind!"_

_Hiei just smiled and disappeared.

* * *

_

"Hiei? Hiei, you wanna snap out of it?" Hinarama asked waving a hand in front of Hiei's spaced out stare. "It's time for us to stop. There are only a couple more days travel at this rate! We're making excellent time. You're the fastest one Hiei!" she continued rambling in her sweet voice.

Hiei banished all thoughts from his head and rested his head against a tree trunk. Sleep came quickly.

* * *

A/N: it might not all make sense, but it will I promise! Maybe this chapter wasn't as long as I thought it would be…. hmm oh well. REVIEW!! 


	5. Flashbacks and a hostage

Hiei kept his stare cast downward as they traveled under the cover of night. He flitted carefully from tree to tree, keeping up with Hinarama who was swiftly leading. It was hard to pay attention to his surroundings though when so many thoughts plagued his mind….

* * *

_Rain pelted down on Hisha as she struggled to keep up with Hiei. She felt a cough rolling unpleasantly around in her chest. The cough came up and she collapsed as her body shook. After the moment passed, she looked around for Hiei. He was nowhere to be seen. Anger filled her._

'_That creep!' she thought angrily. 'He knows I don't have my full strength back yet he goes on without me anyways. As soon as I'm well again, I'm leaving this bastard.'_

"_Need a hand?" a casual voice interrupted._

_Hisha started and looked up to see Hiei. He was dripping wet with an extended hand. She eyed him warily before reaching up and accepting his help. _

_Her legs shook and she didn't trust herself to walk. Not wanting to admit her weakness, she didn't voice a complaint. After all, she was slowing him down enough as it was. That and he already seemed to hate her. The feeling was reciprocated. _

"_Try and keep up," Hiei said before leaping off again._

_Hisha frowned and forced her legs to move. She jumped into a tree after him and continued quite well for a few more yards. Her feet slipped on a wet branch though and she fell with an abrupt shout. _

_Hiei heard her come crashing to the earth and went to help._

_She was unconscious lying in a miserable heap. He removed some of the brush and lifted her body easily._

_Grumbling something no doubt less than admirable beneath his breath, Hiei made a poor shelter beneath a few rocks and tall trees. It was impossible to get a fire going. Everything was soaked. On a good note, the rain had washed away the dirt and blood that had plastered Hisha's face. Hiei started. Her face was…beautiful._

_He could see her flawless pale skin, wet from the rain droplets. He took his cloak and dried her face and was surprised to feel how warm she was, despite how hard she was shivering. In fact, she felt too warm. And her skin was just too pale. _

"_Great," Hiei muttered realizing she had a fever. _

_Hisha's eyes opened at that moment. _

"_What are you doing here?" she asked groggily. With a sudden lurch, she sat up and vomited into the bushes. Hiei wrinkled his nose in disgust. _

_For the next hour, Hisha vomited frequently behind the bushes. Hiei waited quite patiently for her to finish. Her stomach finally ran out of anything to throw up and allowed her to fall into a feverish sleep. _

_The rain pelted down even harder, soaking them through. The shelter wouldn't do at all, Hiei knew. They might as well have been standing in the rain for all the pathetic cover was worth. He decided to find better cover._

_Hoisting Hisha over his shoulder, Hiei took off. He found a cave not much longer later, but it was occupied. That was soon remedied and he laid Hisha down. She was still shivering. Hiei covered her with his cloak and her shivering lessened. He decided to sleep as well and allowed his eyes to drift slowly shut._

_Hisha awoke to silence. Rain was no longer lashing at them. Birds were softly singing a morning song. She felt something heavy on her. Hisha grabbed whatever it was and pulled it off. It was Hiei's cloak. Color crept into her cheeks as she thought of the ill meant thoughts she had been harboring of him the past week or more. Where was he anyway?_

_She didn't have to look far. He sat right behind her. Her ears perked up as she heard him softly breathing. Hisha was sorely tempted to reach out and brush the unruly spikes of hair from his eyes, but held back. _

_A low growl rumbled in her abdomen. Hisha didn't trust her stomach yet enough to eat anything. She was sore all over and had a rather annoying headache. Not wanting to wake Hiei, and not wanting to wait until he woke on his own, she began to make something. _

_Hiei stretched and yawned as daylight peeped through his eyelids. He reached out beside him where Hisha had been asleep. Feeling only his folded up cloak, he knew she was already awake. Surely enough, she was humming a song to herself, sitting at the cave entrance. _

_She was combing her hair with an obviously handmade comb, but her hair looked much healthier untangled and cleaned. Hisha flipped the now black silky mass over her shoulder and turned to face Hiei._

"_I know you helped me," she said bluntly. "This is the second time then that you've helped me, possibly even saved my life. I thank you very much."_

_Hiei nodded._

"_And I have no choice but to stay around you until my strength fully returns, so I wouldn't want to spend the days hating each other."_

_Hiei nodded once more._

"_So truce?" _

_She held out a slender hand. Hiei took it in his and smiled._

"_That doesn't mean we have to get along?" Hiei asked warily._

"_Not at all." _

_Hisha flicked her tail somewhat happily._

_Despite all wishes to not wanting to get along, the two found themselves doing just that. For the next two months, they learned about each other. Hiei, who had never opened his heart to anyone, found himself doing so. The same was for Hisha. They formed a strong bond of trust that would not be easily broken. _

_Hiei knew he was in trouble. His employer would not be happy. He had demanded Hisha healthy and beautiful. And he had wanted her as soon as possible. Hiei knew he could have handed her over well over a month ago. She was certainly strong enough now. Hiei had a hard time holding his own in a sword fight or spar against her. But he had made a grievous mistake: he had become attached to the target.

* * *

_

"Hiei?" Hinarama chirped to Hiei, still deep in sore thought. "Are you hungry? Hitaro found us a meal."

A large deer laid freshly wounded close by. Hitaro had Hiei start the fire and they then prepared to eat it.

Stomachs full and their minds numb with hazy tiredness, the group fell asleep. They did not have much cover. Everyone had become rather lax lately since they had seen no enemies and had run into no trouble. But it would prove a costly mistake…

"Hinarama!" Hitaro called the next morning. "Hinarama!"

Troubled when his twin sister did not answer, Hitaro began to feel dread creep over him.

"Hiei, Hitaro," Kurama said calmly while staring at a small puncture wound on his shoulder. "Check you shoulders for a mark like this."

Hitaro rolled up his sleeve and Hiei removed his cloak. Hiei saw the abrasion and realized what had happened.

"We were drugged," he spat.

"I don't understand," Hitaro almost whimpered.

Kurama sighed heavily. "Apparently our enemies have been watching us and decided to take the offensive while we were weak. They drugged us and captured Hinarama. They now have a hostage."

"Hn."

"But why not take us all?" Hitaro wondered aloud.

"Our enemy is a shallow person. They took Hinarama no doubt thinking the drug would be strongest on her. They didn't want to risk awakening us and being killed," Hiei explained refastening his cloak.

"Hiei," said Kurama. "Could you use your jagan to find where they took Hinarama?"

"Hn."

Hiei removed the bandana from his forehead and the jagan glowed green.

Almost instantly, a castle came into view. It was large, dark, and menacing. And Hiei knew it all too well.

"It's a castle of a very powerful demon lord. About 100 miles north of us."


	6. Lords Taro and Jiro

**A/N**: I ended that last chapter so badly. xx I'm so sorry! Oh well. Gosh this is such a wonderful awesome fic in my head I just want everyone to know it! I'm having trouble getting it out of my head though. sigh yeah. Oh well. Onward!

_**Disclaimer**: Feh I thought I'd throw in the disclaimer this time. All right, you weird rich people who want to sue for every little thing, you can't sue me cuz I'm denying ownership rights to Yu Yu Hakusho and all related indicia! BWAHAHAHA! Go find someone else to rob.

* * *

_

"Strange," Hitaro said to himself.

"What?"

"Well, the place Hiei described…. that's exactly where we were headed, Lord Taro's castle."

"That is a strange coincidence," Kurama concurred.

"Hn. I know the man."

"You do?" Hitaro asked in surprise.

"I did business with him many years ago."

"What kind."

"A simple assassination and a kidnap."

Hitaro sweat dropped.

"It's very reassuring to know you led such an honorable lifestyle even back then," he said weakly.

Hiei glared.

"Can you tell us anything about this man, Hiei?" Kurama continued, trying to stay on topic.

Hiei nodded. "He is the younger brother to the deceased Lord Jiro. They were both immensely strong which is why I didn't refuse Taro when he requested my services."

"Were you scared?" Hitaro interrupted.

Hiei scowled at Hitaro.

"Go on!" prompted Kurama.

"He asked that I kill his brother and steal something from him that he dearly wanted. It was a complicated plan in which I was not to be seen by anyone who did not understand the plan. Everything was executed perfectly. I got what he wanted and returned it to him within the year."

"Why did it take you so long?" both Hitaro and Kurama wanted to know.

"His item needed to be fixed and he and his brother, although they ruled neighboring territories, the land was very vast. Far greater than any kingdom I had ever been in before. It took months to make the journey back and forth, even with my speed."

Hiei paused here for a moment and seemed to be thinking. "I assume the entire purpose of the execution," he continued, "was to gain control of Jiro's lands. With those lands, Taro would rule most of the Makai and it would only be a short while before he had attained all of Makai.

* * *

(A/N: um forget Mukuro and Yomi and Raizen exist for right now because that would complicate everything and I don't want to have to make them seem weaker than this Taro dude. So yeah, they don't exist here. Carry on!)

* * *

"Then…then you made all of this…this…" Hitaro threw a look of contempt at the miserable surroundings and they all remembered the horrible sight that had greeted them upon entering Makai. "You made it all…happen?"

"Unintentionally, yes," Hiei said dismissively toward Hitaro.

Hitaro's silver eyes narrowed and hatred toward Hiei was etched into his young face.

"You have no idea of what you did to so many people do you?" he spat. "What you did to my mother, Hinarama, and me?"

"No I really don't. I don't feel like carrying on this conversation, whelp, and besides, aren't you more interested in finding your sister?"

Hitaro's fists were white from clenching them so tightly. His nails dug into his palms and a few drops of blood rolled into the dirt. He was shaking with anger toward Hiei. Thirteen years of death, hunger, pain, and hardship was all caused by this little man and he was still aloud to walk about freely. But Hiei was right in saying that Hitaro wanted to find Hinarama. He hated being apart from his sister almost more than he hated Hiei. Knowing Lord Taro, he could kill Hinarama anytime with no regrets.

"You're right. We might be able to still catch up if we maybe hurry."

He let his hands relax and they fell limp at his sides.

"Let's go," Kurama said leaping after Hiei and closely followed by Hitaro.

* * *

"So nice for you to join us, Hinarama," a cruel voice sneered in Hinarama's sore head.

Hinarama let her crimson eyes open ever so slightly. She had to blink blood out of her eyes before being able to see clearly. Her worst fears were confirmed. Taro stood in front of her, his obnoxious grin tormenting her. She automatically reached for her sword but grasped only an empty sheath.

Taro laughed. He walked toward her and squatted down in front of her so that he was eye level with her. Hinarama tried to wriggle free of the men who were holding her in a kneeling position on the cold stone floor.

"You've become very beautiful. Not quite as beautiful as your mother, but very close." Taro reached a hand up and cupped it under her chin. Hinarama felt fear shoot through her like the poison she had been drugged with.

He moved his face so close to hers that she could feel his hot putrid breath on her face. As Taro's lips were almost on hers, Hinarama screamed louder than she could ever remember doing.

Her reward was a hard blow to her face. Hinarama licked the blood from the inside of her mouth and spat it at Taro.

"You're just as feisty as your mother too," he smiled. "Don't ever try to run away again, my dear."

Tears formed in Hinarama's eyes and threatened to spill over, but she refused to let them.

_Please, _she begged to no one. _Someone, help me! Hitaro, Kurama, Mother, Hiei, anyone!

* * *

_

A/N: whew! That took me about half an hour to write! But I'm really pleased with this chapter cuz everything is sort of starting to come together. If you're confused, let me know on what and I'll try to make it clear next chapter.

Ch that Taro is such a pervert. He gave me the chills while I was writing it. Lol. Yeah.

Anyways, REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!


	7. Down the Tunnel

A/N: (taps foot) ok I'm not getting many reviews…aw c'mon is it that bad! (offended b/c no one is confirming or denying it **in a review.**) well whatever poor soul has been patient enough to stumble along far enough to this chapter, I THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART! Ahem. Read you fool.

* * *

_"Hn. What do you want?" Hiei asked the demon that was attempting to hide itself. _

_"The Lord becomes impatient," hissed the demon jumping from its perch. "He suggests you hurry up or he will forced to believe you have stolen it for yourself and then you will have to die." The demon spoke faster and faster as he went along, as if the anticipation of even speaking of death got his heart rate up. _

_"And how did you get this word to me so swiftly?"_

_"The Lord has his ways." _

_"Then tell him if he'd be so kind as so lend one of his ways of such magnificent speed and then his item would be received." Hiei was very annoyed and wanted very much to disembowel this pathetic waste of flesh. _

_"He wants a progress report." _

_"His package is still in less than perfect condition but it shouldn't be long before the package is repaired and then if we go as fast as I plan to, the package should be there before the end of the year."_

_"The end of the year is in—." the demon began counting on his oddly shaped fingers. _

_"Three months, baka," snapped Hiei. "Now go before I become too impatient with you."_

_Not being too stupid to understand the threat, the demon saluted Hiei almost sarcastically and disappeared in a black flash. _

_Hiei sighed and went back to camp. _

_Hisha was fast asleep in front of the smoldering fire, her tail curled around her. _

_Truthfully, Hisha was fine. She was already very capable of being labeled as a B class demon. And Hiei suspected that wasn't the limits of her potential. _

_Suddenly, Hiei found that his hand was gently tracing her soft face. Hiei jumped back. He wanted as much distance as he dared between him and that woman. _

_"Hn, going soft?" he mocked himself. _

_Actually, he had found himself wishing she would come forth and say that she –loved him. Even in his head it sounded stupid. Hiei drifted off, those words being his last thoughts of the day.

* * *

_

"There it is," Hitaro pointed, pulling aside a clump of branches.

Hiei and Kurama knelt at his side. In the distance, a large castle with many towers and turrets rose high above everything around it. The bottom disappeared into a thick layer of fog. The sinking feeling in Hiei's heart went farther down than the depths of the castle though.

He sighed deeply and closed his eyes for a moment.

"You all right?" Kurama asked his friend.

"Hn. This is going to be a difficult fight. Long, complicated, and difficult."

"That's never stopped you before."  
"Don't talk about things you don't understand, fox."

Kurama knew when to back down and that was it so he stepped away from it and let it drop.

They began the precarious descent down the steep cliff. The descent took nearly two hours. Loose rocks and booby traps mined the way down. Hitaro took them along a relatively safe route, though, and everyone arrived in one piece.

Hiei scanned the area with his jagan and not to his surprise, found several hundred guards of decent strength patrolling their respective areas. One guard was a bit too close for comfort.

"Someone's coming," Hiei warned.

"Just a second," Hitaro replied quickly while digging through the brush and grass.

"How close, Hiei?"

"He should have sensed us by now…. Yes. He's coming faster now."

"Got it!" Hitaro shouted.

Kurama clapped a hand over his mouth while Hitaro frantically pointed to a small rusted ring. Hiei grabbed it and pulled. A narrow tunnel loomed coldly in front of them. Hiei and Kurama guessed with less enthusiasm than Hitaro at what that tunnel was for. They would have to crawl on their stomachs down the cold, dark, damp.

"Get in!" Kurama hissed.

Hitaro dove in first, followed by Kurama, then Hiei who eased the trap door shut behind him, enclosing them in utter darkness.

The tunnel was dank and musty. Roots poked out from the roof and brushed the tops of their heads unpleasantly. The crawl was irksome. For Hitaro, who was smaller than both Hiei and Kurama, it wasn't so bad. But for Hiei, and Kurama especially, it was difficult. Several hours of crawling in dirt do not make a person happy.

Hence, when the trio climbed out, they were all disgruntled and needless to say, very short tempered.

Kurama and Hiei began to realize that the dark room they were in was a cell. Shackles hung on the stained wall. The cold stone floor was sealed tightly, save one stone block that led to the tunnel. One small opening directly below the ceiling let in the slightest sliver of light between the steel bars. It was not a window, but the gap through which a prisoner was passed their daily items.

"What is this?" Kurama asked in a whisper.

"My home," Hitaro said darkly. "The place where my mother was forced to raise my sister and I."

"Hn."

"Forced?"

"My mother is a captive here."

"So, the heart wrenching tale of your dear mother's illness was a lie, then," Hiei said. "What do you really want from us then?"

Hitaro stared a bit guiltily at the stone floor.

"I want your help. You're both so strong that I thought…maybe you could… destroy Lord Taro and—!"

"It has already been attempted, Hitaro," Kurama broke in with a sigh. "We tried that with our other comrades not 14 years ago."

Hitaro looked crushed. His pale silver eyes stared sadly at the floor and Hiei had the impression that he was trying to hold back tears.

"You mean...you can't do…_anything?" _he choked. "Nothing at all?"

"We are very sorry," Kurama said hanging his head. And he meant every word.

Hiei didn't say anything. He just stared at the shaking shoulders of the young boy in front of him.

"But, what if I told you that…I know his…weakness?" Hitaro pleaded.

"Weakness!" Kurama and Hiei exclaimed together.

* * *

_"Have you ever loved anyone, Hiei?" Hisha asked while stoking the fire. _

_"I don't want to have a weakness," he replied simply._

_"Is that what you think other people are? A weakness?"_

_"Some people yes."_

_Hisha paused before persisting. "Do you think that I'm a weakness?"_

_Hiei was thrown back by her question. He hadn't expected her to ask that! Dammit! He decided to not say anything._

_"I don't want to be your weakness, Hiei." _

_She scooted next to him and laid her head on his lap. Blood rushed into Hiei's face. 'What the hell!' screamed half of him, the reasonable half. But not the other half. That half…reached out and petted her velvety ears and ran its fingers through her beautiful hair. _

_"You are not a weakness," it spoke. _

_Hisha looked up at him, her silver eyes wide and full of love…for him…._

_The other half was disobeying Hiei's reason. It reached a hand under Hisha's chin, and brought her face close to his. It touched its lips against hers and caressed her soft body. It told her things Hiei didn't want her to know. Then she was crying. Dammit he had made her cry! But no, it wasn't him, it was the other half! A sly voice in the back of his mind told him that he couldn't keep making excuses._

_"What the hell," he muttered aloud. _

_Besides, no one would ever find out. Most importantly, his employer wouldn't. This night would be a secret between them. A sweet secret that Hiei would never forget….

* * *

_

A/N: omg I loved writing this chapter! well I hoped you enjoyed reading it! REVIEW PLLLLLLLLLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!


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